Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today hailed the people of Brooklyn, the county’s elected officials and the New York Police Department for the extraordinary drop in the murder rate since he first took office in 1990 when there were 780 murders in the borough. Last year the number, at 149, was the first time it was under 150 since 1960.

“The key to this dramatic drop in murders has been the dedication of our communities and their collaboration with everyone from their religious leaders to city councilmen to local precinct commanders determined to keep their neighborhoods safe,” said District Attorney Hynes, “the exceptional deployment efforts of Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and more than one dozen programs, initiated by my office with the support of other government and non-governmental organizations, demonstrated to the average citizen that we are dedicated to their needs.”

District Attorney Hynes pointed to his re-entry program, ComAlert which along with organizations such as the Doe Fund, helps the formerly incarcerated reconnect with society and has recidivism rate of 22 percent, less than half of the result when no program is offered.

In 2008 in collaboration with the NYPD and church pastors throughout Brooklyn the District Attorney began a regular program of Gun Buy Backs that has resulted in about 2400 guns recovered. The program has since been replicated city-wide, resulting in more than 7,000 weapons being taken from the streets. In the wake of the Newton, Ct. school massacre where 20 children and seven adults were gunned down District Attorney Hynes called on President Obama to form a National Commission to study the nation’s gun laws and seek ways to further keep guns, especially those designed for armies and police departments, out of the hands of irresponsible people. “I applaud the President’s quick action in appointing Vice-President Joseph Biden to head such a study and look forward to its conclusions,” said District Attorney Hynes.

“Residential alternative to prison drug treatment programs, Back on Track a program based in Brownsville designed to help youth who have run afoul of the law and risk dropping out of the education system, Legal Lives where my assistant district attorneys visit schools to talk about making the right choices in life, and Project Re-Direct which offers gang members a way of becoming useful members of the community are all tried and true programs, supported by social service and law enforcement agencies that are part of the solution to keeping the murder rate at extraordinary low levels,” said District Attorney Hynes.

“All of the people of Brooklyn should feel proud of these accomplishments,” he said. “We dedicate 2013 to doing even better.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)